US Open outlook

The men:  In a weird quirk, the two highest seeded active players, Federer and Nadal, are in the same half of the draw.  This happened  because Murray, who would have been seeded second, pulled out late.  The toughest opponent in Nadal’s quarter is probably Grigor Dimitrov.  Federer’s quarter is tougher, with Thiem, del Potro and Kyrgios all there.  In the top quarter of the lower half sits Sasha Zverev, seeded 4^th.  Isner, Sock and Khachanov are dangerous players in his quarter.  The bottom quarter is held down by Marin Cilic.  Denis Shapovalov, whom everyone will be watching, is in that quarter.

            This should be quite an interesting tournament.  With Federer’s health uncertain and Nadal showing vulnerability on hard courts leading up to the open, an opportunity may open up for a relative newcomer like Sasha Zverev or Dominic Thiem.  Federer plays Francis Tiafoe in the first round, which looks like the most interesting first round match.  Tiafoe has had a strong summer.

The women:  The top seed is Karolina Pliskova, whose quarter is pretty light.  Svetlana Kuznetsova is there, as is Aggie Radwanska.  If Pliskova has her act together she should get through.  She is defending a lot of points, having made the final last year.  The second quarter of the top half is quite an interesting one, with Svitolina, Ostapenko (French Open winner), Madison Keys and Angie Kerber.  It’s anyone’s guess who will come through here.  I favor Svitolina or Keys.  Kerber is the defending champ whose play has dipped over the year, but she plays well on the big stage.   The top quarter of the lower half is governed by Garbine Muguruza.  If she plays her best she will get through, but she has Wozniaki, Kvitova and Venus Williams to contend with in her quarter.  The final quarter is headed by Simona Halep.  Johanna Konta is in this quarter along with Sloane Stephens, who has looked very good this summer.  Stephens has the tools to destroy anyone, and every match she plays gets her back into a rhythm which certainly must have suffered with her long layoff.

            As with the men, this is a very interesting tournament.  The stongest players this summer have been Muguruza, Halep and Wozniaki.  No player really controls the women’s tour right now, so this tournament could be full of surprises and intriguing play.

My picks:

The men:  Federer, Nadal, Zverev

The women:  Muguruza, Halep, Pliskova